Apparatus for handling newspapers.



PATENTED JUNE 11, 1907.

S R E P A P S W B N m GT. L MD m H R 0 F S U T A R A P P A APPLICATION FILED 0013.14, 1905.

3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

No. 856,460. PATENTED JUNE 11, 1907. G. w. FRICK. APPARATUS FOR HANDLING NEWSPAPERS.

APPLIOATION FILED OOT.14, 1905.

SSHEETS-SHEET Z.

No. 856,460. PATENTED JUNE 11, 1907. G. W. FRIGK.

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING NEWSPAPERS. APPLIuATION IILBD 00114, 1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

GEORGE W. FRICK, OF SYRACUSE, NEW'YORK.

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING NEWSPAPERS- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented l'une 11. 1907.

Application filed October 14,1905. Serial No. 282,841

are delivered from the press in bunches of fifty, more or less, and its essential purpose is to automatically convey these bunches of papers from the press to some other locality or part of the building where it may be convenient to assort and distribute the papers to the salesagents. Heretotore it has been customary to employ a number of boys or men 'for this )ur )ose and in man instances the distributing room is located in the upper part of the building, which necessitates climbing several flights of stairs and renders the manual work extremely laborious and is attended with more or less confusion, owing to the haste with which these papers are usually turned out.

It frequentlybecomes necessary in the installation of my apparatus to carry the papers considerable distances in both vertical and horizontal planes, and a further objcct,thcre fore, of my invention is to so construct and adjust the cars and their guides or tracks that the papers will be held in a substantial horizontal position on both the vertical and horizontal portions of the system.

It is evident from the foregoing description that the apparatus involves a receiving station and a delivery station; an endless traveling belt or conybyer having paper-holding cars or carriers attached at intervals thereto, and suitable tracks or guides upon which the cars travel in transit from the receiving to the delivery stations.

In the (.lra\vings -.-Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved newspaper-hand ling apparatus or system in which the newspapers are carried vertically from the receiving station and are then carried horizontally, and finally vertically to the delivery station where they are discharged automatically upon a suitable table, portions of the vertical and horizontal sections of the system being broken away. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the dctached cars for carrying the newspapers in bundles or packages of lilty, more or less, from the receiving to the delivery station. Fig. 3 is a horizontal enlarged sectional view taken on line 3 3, Fig. 1. Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are detail views of the car and portions 01 the track or guide, the car being shown in dill'crent positions assumed during its transit from the receiving to the delivery stations; Fig. 4 showing the car at the receiving station as just about to pick up a bunchof papers as delivered from the press, and Fig. 5 showing the car on the vertical rise leading from the delivery station, whilc Fig. 6 shows the position of the car while traveling from the vertical leg to the horizontal portion of the system. Fig. 7 is a top plan of the upper terminal end or deliverystation of the system, seen in Fig. 1. Fig. Sis a sectional view taken on line 8- 8-, Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a top plan of the dctached movable track section in the position shown in Fig. 6 showing its supporting hearing and a portion of the track in section and also showing its counter weight.

In order that my improved apparatus may be understood in all of its possible adaptations to meet the diflerent conditions existing in different printing houses, I have shown means for conveying the papers vertically and horizontally through several turns, and as consisting essentially of a suitable sup orting frame l; outgoing tracks or guir es 2-; return tracks or guides 3--, an endless chainbelt- -4- traveling from the receiving to the delivery stations along the guides .or tracks 2- and -3 and a series of cars 5 which are attached at regular intervals to the chain belt 4. 'lhis'apparatus also includes a stationary newspaper supporting bed or table (i*- at or near the receiving end of the system, and a second stationary table or bed 7- at the delivery end of the system.

The stationary-bed orre'ceiving table 6 is located in close proximityto the delivering end of a printing-press, a portion of which is shown in Fig. 1, and indicated by the reference numeral a--, the relative positions of such bed with the delivering end of the press being so oh that the bundles or bunches containing fifty more or less papers may be, discharged automatically and directly from the press upon the table 6, although in some instances, it may not be practicable to i install my apparatus so as to bring the bed -6- in such relative relation to the discharge end of the press, and under such conditions it may be necessary to transfer the bundles or bunches of papers, by hand, from the press to the rcceiving-table -6. This recei ving-table -6 is preferably rigidly secured to and becomes a part of the main supporting-flame 1-, although it is projebted forwardly some distance beyond one side, as the upwardly moving side of the traveling endless conve'yerbelt 4- and itscars -5 and is usually provided with a series of. arms -6 which project inwardly from the front supporting-bar -8- and are spaced apart lmrizontally to permit similar arms -9- of the carriage 5--- to travel between them for the purpose of lifting the bunch of papers from the upper surface of the bed or table 6 and carrying them upwardly and onwardljl to the delivery station or terminalend of the carrying system.

The cars 5 are substantially identical, one with the other, and are, therefore, interchangeable, and each consists of the paper supporting arms -9- and suitable back slatsor abutnidnts -l O forming eon tinuations of, and at substantially right angles to the arms These arms 9 and l0 are secured at their junctions one with the other upon a cross-shaft or red 11- and the upper ends of the l aclr-pieces l0 are similarly connected to a second crossshaft or rod 12-., While the arms 9 are spaced apart to receive the arms -6 of the receiving bed or table -6 during the upwar-d movement of the car.

Mounted upon the outer ends of the shafts or rods 11- and 12- are additional angle bars or brackets 13 whichare disposed. in substantially the same plane, and are .ofnearly the same form as the. united bars 9-, and thus binding the car or papersupperting' bed, said. additional bars -1 3 being united or connected to the hori- Zontal paper supporting bars 9- by additional comparatively short rods or shafts 1 l-, as best seen in Fig. 2.

Loosely mounted upon the opposite ends ofeach of the shafts -11 and l2- are suitable rollers -l5- and 16- and the front ends of the horizontal portions of the bars -13 are provided with. depending brackets -17 carrying rollers 18 which are similar to the rollers ]5 and ]6-- and those at each end of the car are disposed in substantially the same vertical plane and are adapted to ride in theadjacent sides of the track or. guide -2-, previously mentioned. It may, however, be mentioned here that at no time are more than twoof the rollers on each side of the car in engagement with the track, and these are so arranged that when the car is traveling in a vertical direction, the rollers and -'l6 at each side of the car in engagement with their supporting guides tracks so as to.

support the car with the arms 9- in a substantially horizontal position, although in practice the outer ends of the bars --9- are inclined slightly above a horizontal plane for are provided with suitable bearings -15 having links -19- which constitute a part of the chain 4 and yxhereby each end of each car is attached to one of the endless chain-belts of which there are two, one at each side of the frame -1. It therefore,

follows that each track -2- and -3 is.

composed of opposite lengthwise guides just inside of the endless chain belt for receiving and guiding the rollers l5-, 1 6, and 18 of the car.

' Each of the opposite sides or rails of the track 2- is composed of parallel bars of angular cross section, the bars of each side of the track being arranged to form on its inner face, a lengthwise groove in which the rollers 0f the car travel and by which said ear is supported with the arms 9* in. a horizontal position while the car is in transit with a bunch of papers from the receiving bed or table 6 to the delivering-bed or table, presently described, at the upper terminal end of the system.

The endless chains or cables are mounted at the receiving end or station upon suitable sprocket-wheels -2()- and are similarly supported at the delivery station upon additional sprocket-Wheels 21--, the intermediate portions of said chairlbel ts being supported at the turns by suitable idlers, as spr0cl etwheels -22 and. -23-.

The sprocket-Wheels are mounted upon a driving shaft 24 below the receiving bed -6-- so as to permit the arms -9- of'the cars 5 to assume a substantially horizontally position before reaching the table on their upward movement, whereby the bunches or bundles of paper are lifted bodily from the upper surface of said table as the arms --9- of the car pass upwardly between the similar arms of the table -6-. The shaft 24, and therefore, the sprocket -20 and endless chain belts lare driven through the medium of a driving shaft 25 and worm 26-, meshingwith a worm-gear -2?, as best seen in Fig. l.

The guides or tracks for the outgoing cars,

and those for the incoming cars are tied to-.

gether at intervals by cross straps or braces 28--, which in turn, are secured to the main supporting frame 1, and this main frame is suitably sustained in the building, as B, in a manner best seen in Fig. i which represents one of ti 2 floors of the building.

It will be observed upon rcfe're inwhiclithe cars are shown in d.

.4 ,i i l erent post.-

tions, that when the cars'are traveling upwardly along the vertical ortions of the track, the rollers --15 am 1 6 are engaged with the track while the other rollers -18 at the outer ends of the arms -9-- are free and project outwardly from the track, but when these cars reach the horizontal portions of the track the rollers -15-- and 1 S- are guided therein and the upper rollers "o are free and project some distance a iove the outgoing track. The object of t iris is to maintain the paper-supporting arms --9- in a substantially horizontal position, although in practice, I. prefer to support the rollers -18' at a greater distance beneath the arms -9 than the inner rollers -1 so that when the ear is traveling along the horizontal portion of the track from the receiving to the delivery station, the arms -9 will be held in a position slightly inclined from a horizontal plane with the free trailing ends highest so that the jolting or jar upon the car while in transit from the receiving to the delivery station will tend to Work the papers baclcwardly against the back pieces or abutments 10 rather than toward the open side of the can In order that the car may be maintained in the position just described while traveling along the vertical and horizontal portions of the track in transit from the receiving to the delivery station, I provide such track with an inwardly swinging section 30 which is located near the junction oi the up ight with the horizontal ortions of the track and is normaily held in its upright position by a counter-weight 31 to form a continuation of such track at the turn, but is adapted to be engaged and rocked inwardly, asbest seen in Fig. 6, by the rollers 18 of each car as it is drawn from the vertical to the horizontal track or guide by the chain beits --4, such car being steadied or maintained in operativerposition during such turn by the engagement of the 'rorlcrs 16 with a track extension -32- projecting upwardl from the upper end ofthe swinging tracl section -30.

The inner rail or bar of the track 2 is continuous around .the turn at the junction of the upright with the horizontal positions of said track and is concentric with the axis of the idlers -23 for the chain 4-, and inasmuch'as the shaft-for the rollers at the center oi the car is attached directly to the chain belts -4 it is clear that the cars will be drawn concentrically around the axis of the idlcrs "-23 and that the guides or grooves of the vertical and horizontal portions of the track L are-substantially tangential to the periphery of the sprocket-wheel -23- so to cause the rollers 15-- to ride, usu ally from the vertical to the horizontal portions of said tracl: w l the car is in transit from the receiving to the delivery station.

During this turn the weight of the bundle of papers upon the arms ----9- tends to tilt the upper portion of the car forwardly, and to prevent this, I provide the extension -32 which rises in a suitable curve upwardly and" rearwardly above the horizontal portion of the track so as to form a bearing for the rollers -16- to hold the car with its arms in a substantially horizontal position until the rollers -15-* and 18--enter the horizontal portions of the track, thus relieving the rollers -16-- from further work until the car starts to enter another vertical portion of the track. During this transfer of the car from the vertical to the horizontal portion of the track the switch or movable section is operated in the manner previonsly described to partially sustain the weighted end of the car and to guide the rollers 18 into the adjacent end of the horizontal track, and as soon as the rollers *18- are properly entered into said horizontal track sullicient to free the swinging trackseotion -30-- the latter are returned to their normal upright positions by the weights 31, and are therefore, in position to receive and guide the upper rollers 16-'of the next advancing car, it being understood that the end of the upper guide-rail of the horizontal portion of the track adjacent to the sprocket-wheel 23- terminates a sulIicient distance inside of the upper end of the adjacent out-er vertical rail or swinging secvtion 30 to permit the rollers -*16'- to pass upwardly through the intervening space, and along the extension 32-. In like manner, the opposite end of the same upper horizontal rail terminates some distance inside oi" the axis of the idlers 22 and the outer rail of the adjacent upright section of the track is also terminated some distance above said axis suilicicnt to allow the upper rollers iG- ol the car to travel under the loweryend of the adjacent upright outer rail so as to permit the rollers -16- and -15 to successively enter the grooves of this upright portion of the track -2 during the transit of the car to the delivery station, the inner rail of the same track being continuous around the turn from the horizontal to the second upright so as to form a continuous guide for the rollers 15-. It is now evi-. dent that as the car enters the secondupright section of the track the rollers 15-- and -l6- are guided therein, while the other rollers -18--' are line. As the loaded car continues along the upright, it is, of' course, carried around the periphery of the sprocket-wheels 2l by the chain-belt -4 and the upper end of said upright is provided with a semi circular extension ittperforming the same function as the extension 32 and is also 'n'ovided with a switch or movable truck section --34-, Figs. 1 and S, having a counter-weight ---35- for holding it normally in an upright position, said swinging section 34 and its counterweight -35. being substantially the same as the swinging section and its counterweight -3l and they perform the same function in guiding the car in its turn from a vertical to a horizontal course as it travels around the sprocket -'21' at the delivery station.

A stationary bed or table -7 similar to the bed or table 6 is supported between and within the circular plane of the periphery of the sprocket-wheels 2]. at the delivery station upon suitable uprights -4l-, which, in turn, are adjustably mounted upon a transverse bar 42 forming a part of the main supporting frame and upon which the sprocket-wheels 21 are journaled.

This bed or table.7 adapted to receive the. bundles or bunches'of newspapers from the cars 5, as they are successively brought to the delivering station and carried around the peripheryof the sprocket-wheels -21-, said bed or tablebeing prv vided with a series of horizontally projecting arms 7- between which thearms 9- of each ear pass while making the turn around the sprocket-wheels 21- so that the bunches of newspapers on each car are successively deposited upon the arms 7 of the bed or table -7 and in order that these bundles.

may not accumulate upon the bed 7, I

' provide each car with depending arms 10'' which project below the upper surface of the bed 7- and travel lengthwise of and between the arms 7, as best seen in Fig. 8.

It will be seen upon reference to the draw' ings that the arms 10 move in advance of the upper supporting arms 9- so that the paperswhich may rest upon the bed 7- are engaged by the arms 10' and are moved along the arms 7 upon an auxiliary bed 45, as. best seen in Figs. 1, 7 and 8. This auxiliary bed is composed of a 'iixed table 46 and sliding arms l7, the table -46- being mounted upon the frame '1 said bed or table 7 are engaged and moved by thepcndent arms ]0 onto the sliding haps 47 and during such movement of the bunch of papers the lower ends of the fingers or arms 10 encounter the ends, or rather the rollers on the ends of the bars seaaeo the pressure upoh the ends or rollers of the arms 47 is relieved by thecontinued movement of the cars 5 around the drum 21 on the returi after depositing the bunch of'papers fIOII. thecar upon the table 7' Ascot-ion of the in ier rail of the track, be

ginning at a point j 1st below the switch or swin ing arm 34, to a point in a vertical line irectly above this axis of the drum 21 -is removed to allow the arms 34 androllers 18- to move inwardly as the upper rollers 16 enter the track or guide-groove on the return, or rather, just before the depositing of the papers from the car upon the bed -7. In order thatxthe intermediati rollers 15 of the car may enter the track or guide-grooves upon the beginning of the return movement of the empty cars or about the time the papers are deposited upon the table -'-7- a section -50. of the inner rail at-the rear of the drum 2 1- is hinged at 51 to swing outwardly a suflicicnt distance to allow the entrance of the rollers 15 into the underlying .groovesofthe track.

II have now-described the mechanismfor transporting the papersfrom the press or recfeiving station to a remote terminal station or place of delivery, as the tables 7 and 46-, upon which latter table the papers are finally deposited and are then distributed by hand in the desired quantities to the dis tributing or sales-agents. v

It will be observed that the cars are maintained in substantially the same position, that is, with their open sides facing in sub .stantially the same. direction while moving along the outgoing track or guide from the receiving bed 6, to the delivery bed 7-,

and continue in. this same position on the return along the vertical legs of the retur'r track so that the arms 9'of the empty cars travel inside of the chain belt onthe return from the delivery to the receiving station, and inasmuch as the cars are empty the rollers 15 and 16-'are allowed to remain in traveling engagement with the horizontal portions ofthe return track 3, as best seen in Fig. 1. v i

As the empty vars return to the receiving station and travel around the drum -20 the rollers -l8-- on the free ends of the arms 9 follow by gravity upon an underlying inclined track or rest 55" which holds the arms 10' in a substantially upright position, although slightly inclined for- .wardly so that the rollers -].6 will readily of said track being projected downwardly some distance beyond the lower end of the inner rails to encounter the rollers 16---- and facilitate their entrance into the lower ends of the guides or track "2*, it being understood that both sets of-rollers and 16 enter the lower ends of the guides or track 2 to hold the arms -9- in a substantially horizontal position while traveling upwardly between the arms 6 of the receiving table 6-, as previously described.

In order that the invention may be thoroughly understood, the action of the apparatus may be briefly described as follows: The newspapers in bunches or bundles of 50, more or ess, are deposited. from the press -aeither automatically or by hand u on the table -6- from which they are li ted by the upward movement of one of the cars 5- which is actuated by the endless belts or chains 4 and is guided in,the present instance, along the vertical portion of the track 2. leading from the bed 6, such loaded car being. then transferred onto the horizontal portion of the same track, as best seen in Fig. 1, and in order to make this transfer possible a section of the outer rail of the track 2 is made to swing inwardly and downwardly against the action of the counter-weight 31, said swinging section serving, when in its normal position, as a continuation of the track to guide the roller -16- until it reaches and 18 further guided by the extension 32, such extension serving to hold the arms -9 in a substantially horizontal position against the weight of the papers thereon until the ear is advanced sullieient to enter the rollers in the adjacent end of the horizontal portion of the track 2- and as the car continues to move along said horizontal track the rollers 18 -encoi1nter the swinging track-section -30,

I from the front side of the' table upwardly above and lengthwise of the table 7 and is then drawn downwardly by the chainbelts 4 causing the arins 9 upon which the bundles oi papersrest to travel between the arms 7, thereby depositing the bundle of papers from the car upon the ams --7'-- and the bunch of papers which was previously left upon the arms 7 by the next preceding car are engaged by the 47 outwardly and across the underside of the table -46--, causing the bundle of papers on the bars 47' to ride upon said stationary table 46 from which they may be removed by hand. loaded car has deposited its papers upon the arms 7- of the table 7, its rollers 15 engage and swing the track sections 50 outwardly, thus permitting said rollers to enter the return guides of the track .'3-, in which position the cars are returned to the place of starting and the bars 47 are returned to their normal position seen in Fig. 8 by the counterweight 48 as soon as the car has passed the swinging sections -5()-'-. In order that the chain belts may be tightr-ined when necessary to take up any slack, the shaft upon which the drums 2 1 are journaled is supported in vertically ad-- justable boxes 60-, which are adjusted and held in place by suitable screws 61, Figs. 1 to 8.

What I claim:

1. In an apparatus for handling news apers, a track having portions thereof disposed at an angle to each other and provided with a swinging'section near said angle, an endless conveyer traveling along said track, and a car attached to the conveyer and pro vided with bearings riding on said track, one of the bearings operating to tilt and to ride upon the swinging track section when the car is turning the angle.

2. An apparatus for handling newspapers comprising receiving and delivery stations, a table at the receiving station having a plurality of arms spaced apart for supporting a bunch of papers, an endless belt traveling attached at intervals to the belt and having portions thereof traveling between said arms a movable support receiving the papers from the cars at the delivery station, and means on the belt for actuating said support as the papers are deposited thereon.

3. In an apparatus for handling news apers, a track having upright and horizonta 1 extending ortions, an endless, conveyer be t traveling a ong said track, a car having a bottom and back disposed at an angle to each other, said car being pivotally attached to the conveyer at the junction of said bottom and back, hearings on the bottom and back of the car, and additional bearings on the center oi the car, the central and back bearings riding in the upright portions, and the central and bottom portions riding in the horizontally extending portions of the track.

As soon as the from one station to the other and return, cars 4. In an apparatus for handling newspapers, a track having upright and horizontally extending portions, an endless conveyor belt traveling along said track, a car pivotally attached to said conveyer and provided with horizontal arms spaced apart and forming the bottom, said car having upright arms rigidly connected to the horizontal arms and forming the back of the car, and asystem of roller hearings on the bottom, back and at the junction of the bottom with the back of the car and adapted to ride on said track to eep the car in operative position to carry its oac track, an endless conveyer trave ing along said track, arodattached to said conveyor, angle bars mounted on the rod and a system of roller bearings mounted on the rod and angle bars respectively some distance apart and riding on said track.

6. In an apparatus for handling newspapers, a track having an upright portion and a horizontal portion; an endless conveyor running along the track, a paper supporting car attached to and moving with the conveyer,

said car having a horizontal bottom and an upright back, hearings on the back engaging the upright portion of the track to hold the bottom of the car horizontally while travel,- ing vertically, and additional bearings on the bottom to engage the horizontal portion of the track for holding the bottom horizontally while traveling along said horizontal portion of the track,,and means for engaging said bearings and holding the car with its bottom in a horizontal position while passingfrom the upright to the horizontal portions of the track.

"7. In an apparatus for handling newspapers, a'traek having an upright portion and a horizontal portion, said track having a movable section at the junction of the. upright with the horizontal portion, an endless conveyer traveling along said track, a paper supporting car attached to and moving with the coin-'eyer along said track, said ear having a horizontal bottom and an upright back, sepa rate hearings on the bottom and back of the car, the movable section of the track being normally alined with the upright portion of the track to engage the bearing on the back of the car for l'iolding said car with its bottom in a horizontal position while traveling from the upri ht to the horizontal portion of the track, said movable section being also engagi vd and moved from its normal position by the hearing on thebottom of the car to cause the lat ter bearing to travel from the upright into the horizontal portion of the track.

Si in an apparatus of the class described, an endless conveyor and its supporting drums, portions of the conveyor being supported in horizontal planes, means l or transinittii'ig motion to the conveyor, guides t'ol- 5. In a newspaper handling ap aratus, a

lowing the line of travel of the conveyer, the

outgoing guide having a swinging section at the junction of the verticalnvith the hoidzortt-al portion of the guide,paper-carryingears" attached to the conveyer and guided in said,

guides, and means on each car for engaging and swinging the movable section of the' guide as the car travels from the vertiealto' the horizontal portion of the guide, said. mov

able guide-section normally forming a guide for a portion of the car. when entering the horizontal portion of the guide, and means to support the papers in the path of the moving cars. i

9. In an apparatus of the class described,

an endless conveyer and its supporting drums, means for transmitting motion to one of the drums, paper-carriers attached to the conveyer, means for supporting the papers in the path of said carriers, a paper-supporting table in proximity to the delivery terminal of the conveyor and located in the path of the carriers, whereby the papers on the carriers are deposited on said table, and means.

means on each carrier for engaging and force ing the papers from said table, additional .means for receiving the papers discharged from the table, said additional means being actuated by the carrier away from the table,v

and means to return the last named means to its normal position. I I

v 11. In an apparatus of the class described, an endless conveyer and rotary support-s therefor, one at the receiving station and one at the delivery station, paper-supporting arms attached to the conveyor and spaced apart, means for holding said arms in a substantially horizontal position during their transit from the receiving to the, -lelivery.

station, additional means for supporting the papers in the path of said arms, stationary arms at the delivery station. arranged in a plane intersecting the'qmth of the traveling conveyor arms, whereby saidconveyei arms are caused to travel past the stationary arms to transfer their papers upon saidsta tionary arms, sliding bars movablerelatively to the stationary arms, means on the traveling paper carriers [or engaging, andforcing the pa )ers from the stationaryarms :ontoIt-he sliding bars and forengaging and actuating said sliding bars,awayi'ron'i the stationary arms, and additional means for autoi' i'atieally returning the sliding barsto their normal positions. I 1 r, i F

12. In anappai'atus of tlieclass 'lescribje d,

an endless conveyer and paper-carrying cars sliding bars, and for actuating said bars to '10 attached there-to and each provided with transfer the papers therefrom onto the second Substantially horizontal arms spaced apart, stationary table.

a stationary table also having arms spaced In witness whereof I have hereunto set my .1 art, the arms of the cars moving betweenv hand-this 25th day of September 1905.

t 0 arms of the stationary table, a second GEORGE W. FRICK.

stationary table, sliding bars between said Witnesses:

tables and means on each car to force the t H. E. CHASE, navers from the first named table onto the v l-IQWARD P. DENISON 

